Fresh off rewatching the movie I have mixed thoughts. MechaGodzilla feels more like a vehicle than a character in the way Kiryu and the original MechaGodzilla feel. In the earlier portions of the movie he was stiff and honestly boring, only spamming beams and not moving. But during the final battle he really pops out as a character and becomes much more respectable and well, interesting. But it's a shame his first battle is so short and boring compared to his later appearance in the film in which he actually moves quite a bit and really fights with Godzilla.

Member of Toho Kingdom since August 2005 somehowLongtime Fan of the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla Trilogy (since around the same time) somehow

First off, I really disliked the movie. However, I didn't think Mechagodzilla was that bad. I didn't like the absence of the up-close-and-personal fighting style of the '74 version, or the personality of Kiryu, but his execution worked for his role. He was, for all intents and purposes, a giant tank, so really his main function would be to blast away at Godzilla until the cows came home. He's not all that bad, just his movie, that's all.

^Ah man, Heisei posters are the BEST and should be used for the DVD covers IMO...

JVM wrote:MechaGodzilla feels more like a vehicle than a character

Indeed. I always found his lack of personality refreshing, actually.

I haven't seen this movie in a good nine years, but it was one of my top three favorites back then and I remember a few scenes quite vividly. I just ordered Sony's DVD, this will be the first time I see a Heisei film in Japanese (slowly working my way to no more dubs!).

Heisei Mechagodzilla is just another powerful monster/superweapon in a series already full of them, and everything he does is done so much better by Showa incarnation and Kiryu. I don't think I outright hate this version, but it's my least favorite of the three Mechagodzillas. There's just nothing interesting about it.

My least favorite Mechagodzilla. His firepower is cool, but they couldn't have given him some melee skills too? I do like that he actually moved like a machine though. I think his slow but steady movements gave him a sense of tank-like power.

^I get where he's coming from though. They were heavily relied upon in the Heisei series, and it would've been nice to see some variety.

This MG is my second favorite incarnation. It beats Kiryu because it was an obvious threat that nearly killed what was arguably the strongest Godzilla incarnation (not counting the 1995 "meltdown" form). Its firepower was insanely powerful.

We don't know the extent to which Futurian technology had on the global economy. Infact, it's probably what made Japan into a economic superpower capable of buying chunks of South America to begin with. The presence of Futurian technology also creates a nice little cover story for "Why does everyone stay in Japan with yearly visits from a malevolent atomic powered death machine?" and "How can they rebuild so quickly?" It's probably my favorite part of the Heisei canon.

Mechagodzilla would have been aided by having a more rickety and less "clean" design. It looks even more high-tech the Mecha-King Ghidorah, which is just backwards.

“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.” - Ray Bradbury

There's a cut scene from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla of Mechagodzilla battling King Ghidorah, Godzilla, and Mothra in a combat simulation. It was really cool and really weird looking and it's a shame they didn't keep it in.

“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.” - Ray Bradbury

TokyoVigilante wrote:There's a cut scene from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla of Mechagodzilla battling King Ghidorah, Godzilla, and Mothra in a combat simulation. It was really cool and really weird looking and it's a shame they didn't keep it in.

TokyoVigilante wrote:We don't know the extent to which Futurian technology had on the global economy. Infact, it's probably what made Japan into a economic superpower capable of buying chunks of South America to begin with. The presence of Futurian technology also creates a nice little cover story for "Why does everyone stay in Japan with yearly visits from a malevolent atomic powered death machine?" and "How can they rebuild so quickly?" It's probably my favorite part of the Heisei canon.

Mechagodzilla would have been aided by having a more rickety and less "clean" design. It looks even more high-tech the Mecha-King Ghidorah, which is just backwards.

This is a good point.

And really, it's not like MG's the biggest stretch of imagination when it comes to Japan's military forces in the Godzilla films. As mentioned, rebuilding the same town yearly is pretty expensive in itself, even ignoring everything else - especially looking back at the Showa timeline, where it took beatings in more than twenty films.

Also I too would love to see such a deleted scene

Member of Toho Kingdom since August 2005 somehowLongtime Fan of the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla Trilogy (since around the same time) somehow

I think Heisei MG is awesome. He's one of the only cold, emotionless killing machines in the G-franchise, and his lack of melee skill serves to show that he's not unstoppable and oevrpowered, and it does prove to be his downfall various times. I like a monster with pros and cons that are actually reflected and well-identified in the movie itself. His design is suitably cold and neutral too, with a simplistic metal sheen, no overly pointed edges, enhancing his 'personality' (or lack thereof).

It is a simple story. There is nothing that brings me happiness. Be it believing in others or them believe in me, it did not matter.What others called happiness simply did not bring me joy.